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Can the U.N. Peacekeepers Complete
Their Mission?
 As
the standoff with the rebels intensified and more peacekeepers were killed, critics
began to wonder if the UN could end the violence in Sierra Leone. Four experts
examined peacekeeping
in the war-torn nation and considered whether peacekeepers were up to the task.
(5/9/00)
Violence
Kills Four Peacekeepers, Threatens Mission
In
May of 2000, violence flared again and this time, United Nations peacekeepers
were in the crossfire. Four Kenyans were killed and 69 taken hostage as the UN
force attempted to disarm the rebels. Sierra
Leone's ambassador to the UN and a journalist discussed the difficult mission.
(5/4/00) 
Violence Threatened as the UN Approves
Peacekeeping Force
In
July the government and leading rebels signed a peace accord to end years of civil
war. Despite these efforts, ethnic tension and lingering anger continued to spark
fighting, particularly in the northern part of the country.
In
October, the United Nations approved a 6,000-person force to bring peace to the
region and disarm the rebels. Two
regional experts discussed the likelihood that the peacekeepers will end the
violence in the region. (10/26/99) Feeling
the Effects of the 1997 Coup
In
1997, a branch of the military, citing concerns over corruption and rebel activity,
toppled the democratically- elected government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The
coup ends a year of relative stability, sparking widespread violence between rebel
forces and the new government. Charlayne Hunter-Gault discussed the
situation within the country a week after the coup. (6/4/97) A
Timeline of Key Moments from Sierra Leone's Troubled Past
A look
back at Sierra
Leone's history. |
Court Indicts Liberian
Leader
Update:
A U.N.-backed war crimes court in Sierra Leone on Wednesday indicted Charles Taylor,
president of neighboring Liberia, charging him with "bearing the greatest responsibility"
for Sierra Leone's brutal 10-year civil war. (6/4/03) Court
Indicts Seven on War Crimes Charges
Update:
Prosecutors in a special United Nations court in Sierra Leone charge seven people,
including a chief rebel leader and a former cabinet minister, with participating
in the mass slaughter that killed an estimated 20,000 people during the West African
nation's brutal 10-year civil war. (3/10/03) Truth
and Justice: Sierra Leone's Slow Recovery
As
Sierra Leone's people work to heal from a decade of brutal civil war, the United
Nations has created an international court aimed at bringing those behind the
conflict's killings and mutilations to justice. Fred
de Sam Lazaro reports on Sierra
Leone's continued instability and the war's effects on business and culture.
(1/23/03) Government,
Rebel Leaders Declare End to Decade of War
More
than a decade after a civil war began in the tiny West African nation of Sierra
Leone, rebel and government groups gathered Friday to publicly declare an end
to the bloody conflict. "The war is over,"
President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah told thousands in the capital of Freetown. "Go
and enjoy yourselves." The declaration of peace
is also seen as a victory for United Nations peacekeepers who fought a sometimes
deadly battle to disarm thousands of rebels. More
on this story... (1/18/02) Cry
Freetown: A Documentary Look at the Civil War
Award-winning
photojournalist Sorious Samura discussed the
brutal civil war in his native country of Sierra Leone. (1/25/01)
RealVideo:
Excerpts from Samura's "Cry Freetown" as broadcast on the NewsHour.
(1/25/01) More
information on Sierra Leone and Samura's documentary is available at CryFreetown.org.
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